Spurs hand Heat first post-‘Decision’ defeat

When Miami Heat president Pat Riley attracted both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach this summer, pulling the NBA free agency coup of a lifetime, he received exactly two phone calls of congratulations.

One came from NBA commissioner David Stern. The other came from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

“I thought what he did was amazing,” Popovich said. “What a coup.”

The NBA’s All-Star rock ’n’ roll tour arrived at the AT&T Center on Saturday, drawing a sellout crowd of 18,581. With Wade home nursing a strained hamstring, and James and Bosh limited to spot duty by Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, it felt a little like the Beatles showing up without Paul, then leaving after “Love Me Do.”

Even after the Spurs finished off a 90-73 victory, evening their preseason record at 1-1 while handing Miami its first post-“Decision” loss, Popovich was as convinced as ever that the Heat’s summer for the ages was worthy of congratulations.

“It’s got a heck of a chance of working,” Popovich said. “Obviously they have enough talent to get it done. Whether they will or not is another question, because it’s damn difficult, and things happen that aren’t in your control. But they’re in the ballgame.”

Saturday, however, was not about June. NBA titles aren’t won in the preseason, and both the Heat and Spurs know it. For both coaches, ? Saturday was about learning a little bit more about his team than he knew before.

For the second game in a row, DeJuan Blair was the headliner for the Spurs, whose own Big Three saw more court time than Miami’s version, but only by a little.

Starting at center beside Tim Duncan, Blair did most of his damage early, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. The Spurs also got solid production from Richard Jefferson, who had 11 points and five rebounds in 21 minutes.

The two teams’ regulars played to a 26-26 tie at the end of the first quarter, after which James and Bosh took a seat for the Heat, who were playing for the second time in as many nights.

James finished with 12 points in his cameo — though he was just 3 of 8 — while Bosh had two points on 1-of-6 shooting. Both were happy to wear their sweats for the final three quarters.

“Coach wanted me to get some rest, and I’m all for it,” Bosh said.

As often is the case in the preseason, Saturday’s game was decided by rookies and undrafted camp invitees. Using a fourth-quarter lineup consisting mostly of Curtis Jerrells, Garrett Temple, Alonzo Gee, James Anderson, and James Gist, the Spurs held Miami to just 10 points in the final frame.

Anderson, the rookie guard from Oklahoma State renowned more for his offense than defense, was especially eye opening, blocking fellow rookie Kenny Hasbrouck on back-to-back possessions.

“They did better and better as the second half went on,” Popovich said. “They were impressive with not just their effort, but their recognition.”

It was lost on nobody that the lineup that closed the game for Miami won’t be used much when the games begin to count. At least one Spurs player left disappointed he didn’t get to see Miami’s ballyhooed trio intact.

“On a lot of teams, there are two All-Stars, or really good players,” Manu Ginobili said. “I want to see them with Dwyane, too. It’s going to be interesting to see how they adjust to each other.”

The Spurs will have to wait until March 4, when Miami returns to the AT&T Center, for that.

Saturday for the Heat was about surviving a silly preseason back-to-back. For the Spurs, it was about player evaluation and position battles and all the other stuff October games are normally about.

Whether Riley will warrant another congratulatory phone call from Popovich in June remains to be seen.